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prescription ‘popup’, more about ‘width=500, for sale height=500,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0′); return false”>In its heyday, the Stereo Realist 3-D camera was the most popular 3-D camera around – used by Harold LLoyd, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Edgar Bergen (and one would assume, Charlie McCarthy to capture the world in stunning 3-D. I was introduced to my fetish in art school, when I went to an exhibit of stereo photos – they had dozens of 35mm pairs in little viewers tacked to lightboxes, cards set up on a huge drum that let you spin each one past an old Victorian wood viewer and – most impressive – a slideshow: We donned polarized glasses and I was instantly hooked when the curator began hand-feeding freakishly inventive 3-D slides through a Stereo Realist projector. Gadget hound that I am, I immediately coveted the device, until I learned they’re so rare they were going for $3,000 (this was back in the 80s). Now, you can’t even find ’em on eBay. This is a much more realistic (sorry) alternative: The bakelite viewer holds a couple of D-cells and some pretty slick glass optics. I think I found it for about 7 bucks at a garage sale.

1 Comment

I have been making stereo slides since 1988 with a stereo realist camera. Up untill a month ago, I had only seen them in a hand held veiwer. I was also introduced to the projection of stereo pairs and was amazed. There are other projectors out there. The Stereo Realist projector is the most prized, and most complicated to use. There were a number of other projector manufacturers. The most common is TDC, and they made two models, and they can be found for a small fraction of the cost of the Stereo Realist. They are simple, rugged, and near indestructable. I got one and have been very happy with it.